A Weary Biden Heads for the Exit

It had been an exhausting day in Angola. President Biden had already toured a port facility surrounded by towering cranes and visited a factory with conveyor belts humming in the background. By the time he took his seat at a large, wooden, round table in a stuffy room filled with African leaders, he leaned forward, resting his head in his hand, closing his eyes for a brief moment as the speeches droned on.

Traveling halfway around the world would have worn out even a president much younger than 82. Yet, Biden felt the trip was crucial. He had come thousands of miles to underscore the significance of a new U.S.-backed railway project, one that could revolutionize Africa’s economy while securing vital resources for America. He didn’t have to make the journey, but he insisted on it, proudly becoming the first sitting president to visit the region.https://wordpress.com/

These are the closing days of Biden’s presidency, marking the final chapter in a long political career that spans over half a century and has been filled with unexpected turns. Time is clearly catching up with him. He appears a little older, a bit slower with each passing day. His aides say he remains sharp in critical moments—whether calling world leaders to negotiate a cease-fire in Lebanon or addressing the complexities of Syria’s ongoing civil war. However, it’s hard to believe he ever truly thought he could handle the world’s most demanding job for another four years.

That said, Biden has accepted his time in office is coming to an end. His decision to step aside, after bowing out of the race in July, has proven to be the right one. Yet, Trump’s triumph over Vice President Kamala Harris has been interpreted as a rebuke of Biden. It stung, and it continues to hurt. But unlike Trump four years ago, this president has come to terms with the outcome.

“Sure, this is tough,” said Ted Kaufman, a close friend and former aide, who succeeded Biden in the Senate. “But he’s faced harder challenges than this. He has a long list of things to achieve, and he’s determined to get them done.”

With a desire to leave office on a high note and cement his legacy as a consequential leader, Biden aims to “sprint to the finish line” in his final weeks, according to his chief of staff, Jeffrey D. Zients. He’s checking off the last items on his presidential to-do list. Angola? Done. A first-ever trip to the Amazon rainforest? Done.

The most significant task remaining is securing a cease-fire in Gaza. If successful, it would be a monumental achievement to cap off his presidency. Otherwise, he’s wrapping up his tenure by taking credit for the healthy economy he’s handing over to his successor—one who may not appreciate it—and pushing through funding for infrastructure projects and military aid, both domestically and for Ukraine.

In an effort to close his presidency with an act of forgiveness, Biden has granted a record number of commutations to prisoners on home confinement. In a more controversial move, he pardoned his son Hunter for convictions related to firearms and taxes, a decision that drew backlash even from some of his fellow Democrats.

Like other lame-duck presidents, Biden is gradually fading from the political scene, nearly stepping aside before the final curtain falls. While Trump continues to dominate the headlines and make policy pronouncements in anticipation of taking office, the sitting president has become something of an afterthought. “President — Still?” a host on Saturday Night Live quipped.

Biden has largely refrained from engaging in the heated debates sweeping the nation. Despite warning repeatedly that Trump posed an existential threat to American democracy, Biden has gone silent on the issue, and even his aides now decline to comment on whether the incoming president still poses a danger. A traditionalist to the core, Biden has opted for grace and reticence, which he believes are fitting for the departing president of a defeated party, even as his successor threatens to imprison his political opponents and place conspiracy theorists in positions of power.

Some of Biden’s allies and fellow Democrats wish he would take a more active role in the time he has left.

“He should be pushing hard until the last moment on the issues he’s championed, to cement his legacy and how it contrasts with what Trump is bringing into the White House,” said Reverend Al Sharpton, a civil rights leader and Biden ally.

Yet, even as he pushes for his priorities, Biden has found it difficult to break through. During his trip to the Amazon rainforest last month, his physical limitations became painfully apparent to those traveling with him.

After speaking for just seven minutes on a sweltering day, with a blue shirt loosely draped over his frame, Biden slowly shuffled away down a dirt path, causing some in the audience to hold their breath, concerned he might trip. (Aides insisted his gait was as steady as usual.)

On his arrival in Angola this month, after a long and exhausting international flight, President João Lourenço briefly grasped Biden’s arm to help him ascend a step.

Later that day, when Biden visited the National Museum of Slavery, he did not enter the main building to view the exhibits. Instead, the artifacts were brought outside for him to see, a move attributed by some to concerns over the difficulty of climbing the museum’s steep stairs. (The White House denied that the stairs posed any issue, citing scheduling and logistical reasons for the change in plans.)

Even so, Biden continues to embark on demanding trips to distant locations like Angola and the Amazon, where others might have opted to stay behind. His visit to Brazil led to important climate change commitments, while his trip to Angola highlighted a U.S.-backed railway project that is part of a larger competition with China for influence in Africa—both of which are major challenges in today’s geopolitical landscape.

“It was an incredibly important moment for me, for our institution,” said Vladimiro Fortuna, the director of the Angolan slavery museum. “That was a pivotal moment in the museum’s history.” He added that he was impressed by Biden, noting that he didn’t understand why there was so much concern over the stairs. “I didn’t see someone who wasn’t ready to go up and into the museum.”

Several of those traveling with Biden observed that he kept a light schedule at times and occasionally mumbled, making him difficult to understand. As his presidency nears its end, he seemed introspective. At one point, during a private meeting, he drifted into a nostalgic recollection of the famous 1960 debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.

Yet, those accompanying him also noted that Biden remained focused on the issues at hand and demonstrated a firm grasp of the details. Before meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit in Rio de Janeiro, he insisted on an extensive briefing that lasted about 90 minutes.

At the White House, aides say Biden is still as sharp as ever, dictating specific actions and fine-tuning speeches to align with his vision. He successfully brokered a cease-fire to halt the fighting in Lebanon and consulted with world leaders about the aftermath of the Syrian civil war.

During a ceremony honoring the Special Olympics last week, Biden appeared fully engaged. “He seemed fine,” said Elaine Kamarck, a longtime member of the Democratic National Committee. “To my surprise, he stayed for the entire dinner. We all thought he might leave early, but he stayed, ate with everyone, and seemed just fine.”

Still, he became emotional at one point during the event. Friends note that around this time each year, Biden can feel a sense of seasonal sadness, reflecting on the 1972 car accident that took the lives of his first wife and daughter just before Christmas. During his brief speech, he mentioned the tragedy and became visibly choked up for a few moments. On Wednesday, he will be in Wilmington, Delaware, to mark the anniversary, as he does each year, visiting the family graves.

While some close to Biden say he has made peace with the end of his presidency, others note that he has been moody. He is currently upset with Democratic lawmakers who have publicly criticized his decision to pardon Hunter Biden despite earlier promises not to do so, according to a source close to him.

White House officials maintain that while Trump continues to steal the headlines, Biden and his team are working hard to ensure that the funds approved by his major legislative accomplishments are spent as intended, on clean energy, infrastructure, and manufacturing projects, before his successor has a chance to block them.

In a memo last week to White House staff, Zients reported that nearly all the funding allocated through Biden’s major laws—the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act—has been announced for distribution.

“The president is deeply focused on how we implement these bills,” said Natalie Quillian, deputy chief of staff overseeing the process. “He’s impressed upon us that we need to keep pushing forward to ensure that money reaches communities—red and blue—across the nation as quickly as possible.”

Biden delivered a “legacy speech” at the Brookings Institution last week, outlining what he sees as the successes of his economic agenda and warning about the dangers posed by Trump’s policies. The speech, nearly 40 minutes long and weeks in the making, sought to highlight his administration’s achievements while cautioning about what might lie ahead.

“He’s not looking for a statue,” said Jared Bernstein, chair of Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers. “He’s looking for better policies that uplift the middle class and steer us away from trickle-down economics.”

At this stage in his presidency, Biden’s public communications are more reserved and focused. Once known for his loquaciousness, he now seldom engages with the press. He has held no news conferences or interviews since the election, although he has participated in a few podcasts. During his entire trip to Africa, he responded with just 14 words to questions shouted at him, and in South America, it was only a single word.

As a result, Biden has not been nearly as accessible to reporters as his predecessors. In contrast, Trump continues to dominate the news, offering daily commentaries on a range of topics, including his plans for returning to the White House.

Yet Biden continues to work hard behind the scenes, determined to finish his term strong.